In Another City
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: More fun with the relatives on Naboo.


IN ANOTHER CITY

(The title is taken from a George Burns quote, which says: "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.")

"How're you feeling?" Han asked, smiling at her. They were in bed, Han holding Leia close, her head on his chest. He kissed her temple.

"A little queasy."

"I'll get you something," Han said, rolling over and standing up. "There's gotta be something in the minibar." He walked across the room, stark naked, and in Leia's eyes, the sexiest male in the universe. He rummaged through the contents of the minibar.

"There's Alderaanian ale, Corellian whiskey, carbonated water, more booze, and some milk."

"I'll go with the milk."

"Excellent choice." Han opened the container of milk and poured it into a glass. He handed it to Leia, who was now sitting up in bed. He handed it to her. Leia sipped slowly.

"Not my first choice of beverage, but I think Corellian whiskey could be a little rough this time of the morning," Leia admitted.

"If it's good Corellian whiskey, it's fine. If it's bad Corellian whiskey, there's no good time of day to imbibe," Han assured her. "At least we've still got a couple hours before I meet up with Fick's kids and you with your Aunt Sola." The couple had taken advantage of the downtime by sleeping in late.

"They certainly liked you," Leia admitted.

"They liked the stories I told 'em, at any rate." Han grinned. Both of Pooja's and Fick's sons were interested in becoming pilots, and Han had many, many stories. Fortunately, he'd only given the boys the family friendly versions.

"If they only knew some of the ones that carried a mature rating," Leia laughed between sips of milk.

"I figured if I did that, I'd have already pissed off at least two members of your family. I wonder when I'm going to get at least one of 'em to banish me." Han gave her a wicked smile.

"Behave yourself, Flyboy," Leia warned him, but with a smile.

"I always behave."

"Sure you do."

Han gave her his wounded, 'who, me?' look. It never failed to crack Leia up. "You behave, all right. Often badly."

"Let me show you just how bad I can be," Han said wickedly, sliding under the covers and taking Leia into his arms.

01123581321345589144233377610987

Aunt Sola arrived at the hotel to take Leia to lunch. Han had taken their rental speeder to meet up with Fick's and Pooja's two sons.

"Leia, how are you?" Sola said, greeting her niece with a warm hug. "I hope you slept well?"

"We both slept very well," Leia said. "The bed is extraordinarily comfortable." And, Leia added to herself, it got a bit of a workout.

"It's a good hotel. Thick walls and good amenities," Sola said to her as they walked out to Sola's speeder. "How are you feeling? You mentioned last night that you were pregnant, for which I and the rest of the family are ecstatically happy about. Are you having any nausea?"

"I am, but right now, I feel fine. The long sleep helped."

"What's your favorite cuisine?" Sola asked her.

"Right now, nothing too spicy. Other than that, I'm up for nearly anything."

"Then I know just the place. It's outside the Theed city limits, but just far enough that you'll get better food for a better price. I know you were raised on Alderaan, so my opinion is that we stick with what you know and like."

"I'm all in favor of it," Leia told her. "I hope you don't mind, but there are some things I'd like to know about."

"Like your birth mother?"

"Yes. Among others."

"When we get to the restaurant, I'll tell you all about her. You know she was my little sister."

"Yes."

"I don't know if I can answer everything, but I'll tell you as much as I can."

01123581321345589144233377610987

The two women were seated at their table in the restaurant Sola had chosen. Leia was grateful that no odors that made her feel nauseous were present. Her sense of smell seemed to have been heightened by the pregnancy, and even some of the things she liked were adversely affecting her.

"You know, you look so much like your mother," Sola said to her. "She was a little taller, but not by much. I favor my father's side when it comes to height." Sola sipped some of her beverage, a carbonated water with melon like slices and a touch of something like mint. Leia had asked for the same thing, but in case it offended, she sipped very slowly. "You realize that for the longest time, we had no idea that you and your brother even existed. When Padme died, everyone assumed that the babies she was carrying died in utero. Obi-Wan Kenobi: are you familiar with him?"

"I am, very much."

"Padme had named both of you just before she died. Luke was born first, and you a few minutes later."

"Okay, so now we know who's on first," Leia said, smiling. "It seems such a trivial thing, wondering as to which one of us was born first."

"Well, now you know. We're hoping to meet Luke someday."

"I'm sure you will. He's reviving the Jedi order, so he's pretty busy these days."

"I know you are, too," Sola said. "Being Minister of State has to be a thankless job at times."

"That's putting it mildly," Leia said, but with a smile.

"Padme was born when I was four. She was always into something. I was the first born, the practical, responsible one. Padme was much more whimsical. She was a little terror at times, much to my mother's and her handmaids' distress. I remember her running around the palace, trying to blast her enemies into oblivion." Sola smiled at the memory, her eyes misting a little.

"She sounds like me as a little girl," Leia commented. "I was always doing things I wasn't supposed to."

"Obi-Wan worried that both you and your brother were Force sensitive, and because of that, you could be targets, especially of Palpatine, may he slowly burn in the nine hells. So he and Senator Organa - your adoptive father - agreed that the babies should be separated and remain anonymous. Breha, your adoptive mother, had had five miscarriages and had been warned by the medics that attempting another pregnancy could end her life. She'd always wanted a daughter, as did Bail, and they elected to take you to Alderaan. Luke was sent to live with Obi-Wan's half brother Owen and his wife Beru on Tatooine."

"Luke told me they were murdered on the day he'd met Ben Kenobi. What had happened was, my ship fell under attack, and I was told that if I was desperate, to get in touch with him on Tatooine. I'd put the plans of the Imperial space station into a little droid named R2D2, who's like family to us; he's Luke's personal droid. I had him and C3PO, a protocol droid, jettisoned in one of the escape pods. We were hoping to find a weakness in the station, hence the readouts. I had originally planned to return to Alderaan and get the plans to my father, but as you know, my homeworld was destroyed." Leia's eyes wore a sheen of tears. "I was there when it happened. I was forced to watch it."

"I'm so sorry, Leia."

"And worst of all? It was my biological father who forced me to watch." Leia shuddered. "I was actually scheduled to be executed, but I'll save that for now."

"That's terrible."

"Luke, my brother, thinks I need to forgive our father. He has. I'm not as furious as I was, but I still can't bring myself to do it."

"Understandable."

"You knew my father."

"I did. I was worried about Padme. She was in her early 20s and we'd never seen any of her male companions. She didn't seem the least bit interested in any kind of domestic life; she was a political animal. But she finally brought one home - and it was Anakin Skywalker. We were thrilled. He was four years younger than your mother, but he was so handsome, so charming. And it was clear that Padme was enthralled by him, and he her. And Leia, we honestly believed that Anakin had died - that was the official word."

"In a very real sense, he did," Leia said to her. "The human died and was regenerated as a monster."

"He and Padme seemed so happy together. But there was no way they could marry - at the time, Jedi were not permitted to marry and have families."

"That's changing now," Leia said. "I'm happy to report that Luke has a girlfriend, and he's quite crazy about her."

"Obi-Wan was concerned about that, and felt that they should terminate the relationship. I believe Padme tried, but it was pretty half hearted; the more she insisted it couldn't work, the harder he pursued her. He was a charmer, had so much charisma."

"What did he look like?" Leia asked.

"He wasn't that tall, but he had blonde hair and blue eyes, nice features. It was clear to see why Padme had fallen for him. He could be very persuasive."

"Nice to know some thing about him never changed," Leia remarked dryly.

"I believe I have some holos that I took of him and Padme. If you'd like, we can look at them later."

Leia wasn't sure, but she gave her assent.

"I was the only person who knew that Padme and Anakin had married. And I was the only one that knew he was the father of her unborn children, although Obi-Wan figured it out later. She contacted me about mid pregnancy, said she was upset, that Anakin was behaving strangely. I could see she was extremely troubled, but it was hard to get specifics from her." Sola stared into her beverage glass and signaled their server, who replenished their drinks. "I knew Anakin was away a lot, and she didn't especially like it, but I felt something had to be going on that was not precisely that." Sola sighed. "I wish she'd told me more."

"I don't think there was anything you could have done," Leia said quietly.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Padme was always headstrong. But I wish...I wish I'd been able to help her. I wish I'd dug deeper."

"I'm sure you would have done anything you could for her," Leia said sympathetically. "But if she's anything like I am, getting her to listen could be on the order of a major challenge of, let's say, taking all the pieces of a blown up planet and gluing them back together again."

"Part of the problem was that our parents and I were so relieved when she'd fallen in love. And Anakin gave every indication of being a great guy. I think he actually was, but I found him at times to be a little...controlling. I didn't want to see it, especially in the beginning, but as you know, he was a pilot and he was away much of the time, and their time together was very, very limited, and there was no indication given by him that he was going to change that in any way. I thought it was quite selfish of him."

"I'm glad I didn't marry the wrong pilot," Leia said, and smiled.

"Han? Oh. My. Gods. Leia, I love Darred and would have no other, he is one hundred percent total male animal."

Leia laughed. "He is at that, my sweet scoundrel of a husband."

"He's good eye candy, too," Sola added, which made Leia laugh again.

"He used to be a very, very bad boy."

"Oh?

"He was a smuggler when I met him. Obnoxious, rude, selfish, self centered, oafish nerfherder."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I swear it's the Force's truth."

Sola burst out laughing. "I see that my niece's choice in husbands has just become a lot more interesting. When we saw the holo of your wedding, there was your groom in full military dress. I figured you'd married a soldier."

"Han's a good soldier, and was commissioned as a general for a while, but he's not very good with bureaucracy, and I was relieved that he resigned before he was thrown out for insubordination." Leia laughed. "When I met him, he was completely apolitical. He wasn't interested in our cause. In fact, he really wasn't interested in anything but himself."

Sola smiled.

"Most people thought we hated each other. I wanted to everyone to think I did. I mean, we had a war to win. But circumstances kept throwing us together, and we bickered incessantly like an old married couple, and finally, we acknowledged that we really did have feelings for each other. I will never forget my first kiss from Han." Leia beamed. "I was so scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Falling in love. Of course, once we kissed, I had to stop denying it. Nor did I want to. When I think back, we were bickering like an old married couple." This made Sola laugh.

"You were raised for public service," Sola observed.

"I was. My father groomed me from the time I was small. Of course, my three crazy aunts on his side were hot to marry me off to make some political alliance. But I married for love."

"I did, too. Fortunately, my parents liked Darred a lot."

"He seems very nice."

"He's the best. I can tell that Han loves you very much and cares for you in the same way. And now, you're going to have a child. Having children was the most profound experience I've ever had. And grandkids are truly the bonus. It's my favorite role."

"I think we're aways from that," Leia said, laughing. She became somber. "I really don't have any memories of Padme. The only thing I've ever had were just some random feelings. That she was...beautiful and kind, but so very sad."

"That would be Padme." Sola said, becoming misty eyed again. "She had great compassion for everyone. As a senator, she was tremendously popular. I just wish she'd married someone else." A tear leaked out of Sola's eye.

"Sola, if this is too painful, we can stop talking about it," Leia said, taking the older woman's hand in hers.

"No, no. I need to talk about this. I haven't said much in the intervening years. Padme was your mother. You have a right to know everything. Not only was Padme gentle, kind and loved, but she was also a fierce warrior, not unlike yourself. You have her heart and her spirit. I can see it in you."

"I know one thing: I hope never to have to go to war again. I've had enough. Of course, now we have to make a working government, which is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"If you're anything like your mother, you'll do fine. And you are very much like her. I feel as if you've brought her back to life, and that, Leia, is the best gift you could have given me."

01123581321345589144233377610987

"Thanks for having us," Fick said. "Especially the boys. They're always going on about becoming pilots."

"It's a fun job, especially since overall, it's gotten less dangerous. I found the Imperials hazardous to my health. And my business."

Darred had also joined them; it was strictly man time at this point. While he'd rather be with Leia than anyone else, Han still enjoyed it when it was just the guys. Of course, in the circle of the Smugglers' Alliance, some of the guys happened to be girls, but they'd been playing with the boys for so long that he had a hard time thinking of them any other way.

It was one of the things that attracted him to Leia; she was an independent spirit and not afraid to get down and dirty in whatever task the situation mandated. But time spent with the guys was fun, and to Leia's mind, necessary.

"So that's the _Millennium Falcon_!" Chalmu said excitedly.

"She used to be the fastest ship in the galaxy," Han said with pride. "But I can't give her up. We've been through too much together."

"Like what battles?" Gayce asked, jumping up and down. The two boys were twins but they were not, to Han's relief, identical. "Were you in the Battle of Yavin?"

"Yep, I was there."

"Wasn't it your ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs?"

"She's the one," Han said, smiling.

"Did you really used to be a smuggler?" Gayce wanted to know.

"Yeah, I was."

"Cool!" Gayce continued as Han lowered the gangway. The two boys scampered up. "Don't touch anything. Not yet, anyway. Lemme show you around."

"We wanna see the cockpit!" Gayce insisted.

"We'll get there. In the meantime, you might want to know where the 'fresher is."

"There is that," Darred said, in his droll manner that matched Han's.

"If you're hungry, cooler's over here," Han said. "Just clean up after yourselves."

"Can you take her out? Please?" Chalmu begged.

Han considered it. "If it's okay with your dad and Uncle Darred."

"Sure, that'd be great," Fick agreed.

"I need to transmit a flight plan and get clearance, but that shouldn't take long." Han thought about this for a moment. Holy mother of the gods, he thought, I've gone legit! He shuddered for a moment. Then he realized he was going to be a father in a fairly short period of time. No time like the present, he said under his breath.

The kids were having a blast exploring the ship. It wasn't a luxury liner, but it certainly captured their imaginations.

"So Uncle Han, can you teach us how to fly?" Gayce implored.

"Well, maybe when you're older and you join the armed forces. I teach pilots, but they've gotta be older than you are now."

A few minutes later, Han was given clearance. "Strap in, everyone. We're going for a ride."

01123581321345589144233377610987

Han and Leia met at the hotel.

"Kids have fun?" Leia asked.

"A blast. They'd have kept flying till we reached the edges of the galaxy."

"Any potential as pilots?" She smiled.

"If their aptitude matches their enthusiasm, they'll do fine." Han stripped off his clothes and Leia watched, smiling the entire time. "What time is dinner?"

"We need to be there in half an hour. Sola says that Emerla starts her sabacc game at 2200 sharp, and it's already 1830. I don't think dinner will last as long as it did last night, since it's only Darred and Sola."

"You don't mind that I'm up for some sabacc, do you?"

"Sola warned me about her. She's a very crafty player, and she's used to winning."

Han flashed her his trademark cocky smile. "All the more reason to give the old girl some serious competition."

"Just don't bet the _Falcon_."

"Now why would I do that?" Han finished putting clothing on the lower half of his body and was rummaging for a clean shirt. "The apartment, maybe, but not my ship."

"Han!"

Han laughed. "Sweetheart, relax. You know that I know when to quit."

"At certain things you do. Others, well, sometimes..."

"Now that I could never quit." He sat down on the bed next to her. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm not as queasy, but I'm tired."

"Well, you can make it an early night while I'm crushing Aunt Emerla."

"I'm holding you to that, Flyboy."

"Darred and Fick both agree she needs a comeuppance."

"And who better to do it than you?" Leia asked dryly.

"That's my line!"

"Get your shirt on, Flyboy." Otherwise, Leia thought, I'm going to have to seduce him, right here and now.


End file.
